PHYSIOLOGICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2018 December;71(4):533-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.18.03396-3

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

The effects of ball-possession status on technical and physical indicators at the 2016 European Football Championship

Alliance KUBAYI ✉, Abel TORIOLA, Yvonne PAUL

Department of Sport, Rehabilitation and Dental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of high- and low-percentage ball possession (HPBP and LPBP) on teams’ technical and physical indicators at the 2016 European Football Championship.
METHODS: Match performance data were collected from 14 matches using the InStat multiple-camera tracking system. Data were analyzed with an independent samples t-test, effect sizes (ES), and discriminant analysis based on a structural coefficient (SC).
RESULTS: The results indicated that there were significant differences between HPBP and LPBP teams in terms of the following technical indicators: total passes (t[26]=4.32, P=0.00, ES=1.63), accurate passes (t[26]=3.84, P=0.00, ES=1.67), and fouls committed (t[26]=-2.09, P=0.04, ES=0.75). The discriminant analysis indicated that technical variables (total passes: SC=0.66; accurate passes: SC=0.59; fouls committed: SC=-0.32) and physical indicators (running distance: SC=0.42; and sprinting distance: SC=0.65) distinguished HPBP and LPBP teams. LPBP teams covered a greater total distance (10,531±360 m) than HPBP teams (10,320±279 m).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide practical implications for football scientists and coaches to design individualized training programs for HPBP and LPBP teams based on technical and physical requirements.

KEY WORDS: Football - Running - Athletic performance